SURFING Magazine » SURFING Magazinehttp://www.surfingmagazine.com
This has everything to do with surfingSun, 02 Aug 2015 14:50:25 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3The Best Things That Happened This Weekhttp://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/the-best-things-that-happened-this-week-2/
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/the-best-things-that-happened-this-week-2/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 19:39:31 +0000http://www.surfingmagazine.com/?p=103973Internet's a hell of a drug.

]]>Photo: Tom CareyThis week, in: Style
Bruce Irons told us in an interview, “I don’t think of myself as a style guy. I think I’m a kook most of the time.” It’s probably the most disagreeable thing Bruce has ever said. Jump on over to the full interview and see what else Bruce had to say about style. Then go surf, and emulate him.

This week, in: John John Florence
Do you know what a Blue Moon is? If you thought: a delicious beer then you are wrong and have terrible taste and should hate your tongue and your taste buds and never trust them on anything ever again. (Bet you like Arby’s too, huh psychopath?) If you thought: the second of two full moons appearing in one calendar month, then go ahead and sign up for Jeopardy. A blue moon was seen in the skies on Thursday night — the first one since 2012 — and with it came the first trailer for John John Florence’s new movie called, drumroll please…. View From A Blue Moon. Watch it above.

Laura Enever. Photo: Fiona MullenThis week, in: Things that are terrifying for the parents of teenagers
Laird’s vodka. And the 2015 Vans US Open of Surfing. Here’s a photographic recap of the event thus far.

Morocco is just the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t it? Guess that’s what happens when you take three choice regular foots (Dane Reynolds, Yadin Nicol and Dillon Perillo) to the land of desert rights and document it from all angles. Magazine covers, advertisements, Cluster parts, interactive features and even a few Instagram posts, with Likes just raining from the heavens. Yes, it was a good trip and it isn’t over. Yadin’s filmer (Andrew “Big Pun” Schoener) and Jason “Mini” Blanchard recently passed their hard drives full of bangers to Dane, who put them all in shaker, shook, and poured out Boiler Boys, the short film you see here.

And the name? Well, Boilers is the area’s cash cow wave and when there wasn’t a lot of swell, it’s where we surfed most days. Then, one afternoon between surfs, we watched 12 O’clock Boys, a documentary about a Baltimore motorcycle gang, which became a latent thread of the trip. Put the wave and the movie together and you’ve got Boiler Boys. Rest assured what you see here is significantly less intimidating than the documentary. —Taylor Paul

You might see Joan Duru on the WCT next year. And if you do, say hi. Photo: Jake Keller

SURFING Magazine takes over a bar during the US Open and we rename it The Pope’s Living Room (yes, that’s a real thing). Here’s what it looked like during our premiere of Ryan Callinan: Performance Guy. Watch it on our site this Thursday. BYO Pacifico. Photo: Peter Taras

Speaking of Callinan, Timmy Reyes is going to try and beat him in Round 4. Photo: Jake Keller

Ian Crane closed his eyes really tight and pretended he was at Coachella. Photo: Peter Taras

Kanoa Igarashi left a sternly worded letter for anyone who questioned his legitimacy. It read, “Hey assholes, I’m a heat away from the quarters in the main event.” Photo: Jake Keller

A friend of the Pope is a friend of Koa Smith’s. Photo: Peter Taras

We’ve never said this before but: Holy Toledo. That’s the name of Filipe’s new model from SharpEye Surfboards, and he looks unbeatable on it. Photo: Marcio Canavarro

Fil and friends. Photo: Marcio Canavarro

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If they’re right, that means there are 14,000 words in the gallery you see above — hope you’ve got a minute. Here’s a photographic recap of all things that made the 2015 Vans US Open of Surfing memorable (or difficult to remember…bar photos) thus far. We’re heading into the last two days of the event, where a few winners will be born and a few hundred losers will go to the bar. Many more thousands of words to come.

“It’s crazy to realize what you can do without much money. Like, it’s f--ked up what you can do.” Nicaragua.

Natural beauty.

Somebody call this guy an Uber.

Birds, man.

All Photos: Greg Gyselinck

Last year, an 18-year-old French kid named Greg Gyselinck showed up at our office with a smile and, like, zero-English to intern at the magazine in the photo department. Immediately, we could see that Greg was different. For one, Greg never asked, “So, what do I do now?” Greg just did. Kid was in the water at Lowers shooting the boys, doing weekend trips to Baja, flooding our inboxes with images, making friends and learning the ropes at light-speed. We’d carpool to the office (when he’d actually come in) and just talking with the guy was f–king exhilarating. Greg is: the walking-talking epitome of joie de vivre. Being that our current issue revolves around surfers that never settle down, Greg gives us a piece of that life since stepping in to our office a little over a year ago. –Beau Flemister

SURFING: So how’d you get that big French foot in the door, Greg?GREG: I got an internship at SURFING by sending a random inquiry to, like, an info@surfingmagazine email. I sent a little selection of my work and Pete Taras [Photo Editor] quickly got back to me and said, “Come over!” I was 18 and even though I’d just started school — it was really boring — so I flew over.

And that’s when you moved to San Clemente, did a few months there, and then what?
Yeah, I lived with Oliver Kurtz, Eric Geiselman and Bree Kleintop. After a few months in California, I went to Tahiti for a month. I worked as a photo assistant for Ben Thouard there and learned a whole lot. I got to see and shoot a lot of different things from big swells at Teahupoo to fashion shoots on Moorea to windsurfing, kite surfing, SUP… It was really interesting to see someone out of an office making a living in photography in every area around the water. After Tahiti, SURFING sent me to cover the world tour in France and Portugal, which was also an amazing experience.

Ahh, Tour-grinding — how was that?
It’s not like shooting trips. In my opinion, if you want to shoot performance surfing, it’s going down at or around the tour. At the same time, it’s kind of a dick-lick. There’s a lot of people doing the same thing. I definitely realized that that’s not what I want to do with my photography. I wanted to try something else.

And that’s when you went to Hawaii?
Yeah. I thought that I’d stay, like, three weeks and I ended up staying three months [laughs]. Originally I thought I’d just shoot surfing, but then I got there and realized there’s sooo much other stuff to document there. I think I ended up shooting surfing only five times my whole trip, and the rest of the time, it was lifestyle and photojournalism stuff. Like, what life looks like for the kids living over there. Playing in the shorebreak, cliff jumping, swimming, hiking, girls; all that. It was the best winter of my life.

And how did you plug into that world and meet those kids? How’d you get to see that side of Hawaii?
When I was in California, I became good friends with a kid from Oahu named Jay Alvarez. He said I could stay at his house in exchange for a little work. Shooting him and filming for edits. [Jay is a male model and Alexis Ren’s main squeeze] So that was cool because I went from shooting photos in the surf industry to filming a lot and getting into the whole world of video.

And Jay and Alexis are pretty big deals in social media, huh?
Yeah, I mean, social media isn’t necessarily my measure of success, but it seems to be working for them. Like, the last Hawaii video we made has gotten over 8 million views now I think.

So are you heading toward the fashion world now, or…
I think to really make it in the surf industry you need to spend a lot of time in either California or Australia, but with my French visa, I can only stay in each place for 90 days at a time. I wouldn’t say I’m heading towards fashion. I’ve been shooting a lot of girls and that’s been fun, but I’m not even selling the photos. After Hawaii though, I found a new world to shoot in with a travel-adventure agency named AST. I met a guy from the agency and they have a lot of resorts around the world, so earlier this year, I worked with this agency doing tours around Central America. It was super different than surfing but at the same time really good for my photography. I learned how to shoot portraits, landscapes, the streets — amazing stuff for photojournalism.

I like how you’re livin’ Greg.
Well, it’s never boring. [laughs] It’s hard and I’m always poor, but it’s never boring and to me that’s the most important thing. I actually think that because I never have much money, everything I do makes me 10-times more excited to do it. You appreciate a trip and the experience that much more. It’s crazy to realize what you can do without much money. Like, it’s f–ked up what you can do.

]]>http://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/broke-unsettled-and-completley-happy-greg-gyselinck/feed/1John John Florence Is Releasing A New Moviehttp://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/john-john-florence-is-releasing-new-movie/
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/john-john-florence-is-releasing-new-movie/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:51:24 +0000http://www.surfingmagazine.com/?p=103916Gawk at the teaser inside.

John John Florence hasn’t released a movie in three years. You know what else hasn’t happened in three years? A blue moon, or for us simpletons who haven’t brushed up on our astrology lately, a year with an extra full moon in its cycle. Last night at 3:42 a.m. the earth experienced the pinnacle of what was it’s first Blue Moon in three years – and can you guess what John did on the minute? That clever little devil fed us a tease of what will be his new film “View From A Blue Moon“. See above for the trailer, and see below when you hang your head in realizing there’s no use for even trying to put out another B-grade surf clip again.

Earlier this year Dane Reynolds, Yadin Nicol and Dillon Perillo went to Morocco on a trip for SURFING. For Dane and Dillon it was also a last minute strike to gather clips for their respective parts in Cluster, and for Yadin, it was meant to be the first trip of a TBD movie project.

Dane landed our cover, a few waves made it into Cluster and we also created this interactive feature. But there were still so many leftover clips. Just sitting there. Trapped on a bright orange hard drive.

Then Yadin’s plans changed. Rather than hold onto the footage any longer, he scrapped the idea of a full length feature and handed the harddrive over to Dane, which Dane turned into a masterful short. The edit — titled Boiler Boys — drops right here on surfingmagazine.com tomorrow.

Some things aren’t worth the wait. But Boiler Boys definitely is.

And if you or any of your dear friends are in Huntington Beach tomorrow night…

By now, you’ve probably seen plenty of footage at the original ground-breaking Wavegarden in the Basque Country of Spain – plenty of knee high, peeling little waves ripped to bits by professional surfers brought in from all parts of the world. Now, the crew at Wavegarden have stepped up their game, and improved their tech to deliver bigger, better waves. Their new and improved location will be called Surf Snowdonia and it’s tucked away in the depths of North Wales in Snowdonia National Park. Check the above for a sneak peak at the surf park opening up for business August 1st.

Wanna get barreled for thirty seconds? Yeah, me too. But if you’re reading this and I’m writing this it means that neither of us are getting barreled for thirty seconds right now because we’re both blankly staring at screens. Oh well. At least we can all watch Benji Brand get barreled for thirty seconds. Here’s Benji’s latest GoPro clip from Skeleton Bay in Namibia. If we’re going to keep staring at screens, might as well head to kayak.com and book some tickets.

The sky is blue, the world is round, and if you haven’t noticed, Teahupoo has been very, very good as of late. And with the Billabong Pro Tahiti on the approach, everyone’s looking to get a little slice of the action. Here, we have Dean Bowen and Owen Wright giving the Tahitian reef a good feel – Dean’s lookin’ frisky and how’s that ender from Owen at 1:32?

Micky Clarke is an upcoming fifteen-year-old from Ventura, California – the newest hotbed for some of surfing’s elite youth. And what better place for a powerful regular foot? Watch as Micky tours around his home beaches and gives us a pleasant little intro to his game.

Last night, in the dimly lit banquet hall of Huntington Beach’s Shorebreak hotel, Seth de Roulet became a hero. Or at least the owner of $5000 and a whole lot of prestige. Seth won the 2015 Follow The Light Photography grant by beating out a sharp field of international photographers. Quinn Matthews, Scotty Hammonds, Woody Gooch and John Barton joined him as FTL finalists and you can see their galleries below. Familiar yourself with their work, because we’re sure you’ll be seeing plenty of it.

Daniel “Tomo” Thomson is like a lab scientist, constantly dissecting the best parts of his designs and cross-pollinating to create new prototypes that he then tests on frequent trips to Australia. At the foundation of all he does remains his inspiration—the golden ratio, which forms what has been identified in mathematics as the golden spiral. This application of the Fibonacci sequence has been used to explain the shape of most everything found in nature from nautilus shells, ratios within the human body, the pattern of how tree branches and twigs grow, an ocean wave, and even spiral galaxies: “They are all fractal scales of this geometry,” he says. “It’s a common thing you can find in all areas of nature, not just within surfing, so why not try to apply it? It’s used in creation so why not use it to be creative?”

For those who didn’t excel at math, you’re not alone. Thomson, self-admittedly, was never a fan of the subject in school. He is also quick to point out that he doesn’t have all the answers, and that his theory could be interpreted as arbitrary. But he holds strong in the fact that — whether scientifically proven or not — his shaping method has helped push the discussion around progression. And that’s what he finds most inspiring.

“Whether it’s all in my head or not I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter because it’s just a source of inspiration for me that allows me to not follow the herd at all,” explains Thomson. “Someone comes out with something new and everyone is on that. I always knew I’m never going to make a breakthrough in my career doing it that way.”

Inside a shaping bay at Firewire headquarters, amongst tools and foam, Thomson keeps a notepad and pencil handy at all times, constantly sketching the latest curve he’s working on. Never happy with staying complacent in his craft, he’s taken up studying fluid dynamics, concentric spirals, vortices, and even aircraft technology as it relates to the shape of his boards. All of his shapes can be applied back to different scales of the golden ratio’s universal geometry, and it’s those tiny details that keep Thomson on a steady path of refinement. All of the best surfboard curves, he maintains, have a direct link to spirals. The curve around a rail or found in a rocker, for example, are very “spiral-esque,” he says. “Some are too rounded; they don’t accelerate the water properly, they drag too much,” he explains. “The littlest things can change the efficiency of a curve.”

When asked if he thinks the industry has accepted his work, Thomson says it depends on who you talk to. While breaking through to the world of professional contests is an entirely separate pursuit that requires a very formulaic and almost conservative approach, the shaper says his boards are resonating with surfers on a different level. “My surfboards have a better experience in the ocean, more free and pure,” he says. “I think most people understand that and the feedback is good. I get so much feedback. It changed my whole view on surfing.” –Kailee Bradstreet

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more inviting scene than the peaky beachbreak tubes found in this clip of Ryland Rubens in Nicaragua. The young, springy goofy-footer sinks his teeth into the Central-American waters and puts together a solid two minutes of envy-inducing ripping.

Albee Layer has some sort of special connection with the mutant that is his home wave of Jaws – like some sort of crazed prophet. Here, in the third installment of the Maui-grown series The Habitat, we get an inside perspective on this relationship between man and beast, and are gifted with some of Albee’s best cuts from Peahi. Highlights include one hell of an opener at the 0:20 mark (on which he looks to be riding a board about half the size of everyone else’s) and just about everything after that.

Asher Pacey has spent the majority of his life under the lip of a clear, blue Australian barrel. Seriously, the guy has spent more time in the tube than any normal human being could even fathom. Here, we catch up with Asher and what drives his simple life as a migrant surfer and are gifted with a few prime cuts of what it’s like on his continuous search for the good life.

We did everything that you’re not supposed to do.” That’s what Jamie O’Brien had to say about the production behind the clip you see above. He meant it, too. Jamie partnered up with Eric Sterman and Brent Bielmann to take a drone to a place where drones are not supposed to go. A place more forbidden (maybe not in the eyes of the law, or the morally sound) than the airspace above your topless sunbathing neighbor’s yard. He whipped into a wave at Teahupo’o with the drone — propellers spinning, tape rolling — then got barreled, came out and released the drone like a white wedding dove into a sunset. Beautiful, no? We called Jamie to get a better explanation as to how such beauty was born.

JAMIE O’BRIEN: Eric and I have been talking about getting that clip for a while. We were talking about doing it at Pipe or Mainland Mexico, but we never ended up actually trying it. Then we were at Teahupo’o the other afternoon and he looked at me and said, “So you want to get a barrel with the drone?” The waves were perfect and we went for it.

I had to get towed in so that I could already be holding the drone. Nobody else was towing at that point, so Niccola Porcella and I just sat out the back and waited for a set. It was difficult just trying to keep the drone dry out there. Eventually, a wave came and he put me in the perfect spot. I let go of the rope and was like, oh my god this is really going to happen.

I remember looking at the drone in the barrel and not believing it. It was one of the most bizarre feelings I’ve ever had. I was trying so hard to keep the drone dry while still having to focus on making the barrel. It’s almost hard to explain. You’re just not supposed to put drones there [laughs]. Then I made it and let the drone go, and everyone on the boats started cheering and clapping. It probably felt like Eric Sterman won a contest.

Thanks, Jamie. And in a way, Eric did win a contest. He won the contest of your interest in the ever-competitive sphere known as the internet — there are plenty of topless drone neighbor clips out there, but you’ve invested your interest here instead. And here’s Eric’s victory speech. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of these new angles coming out by 2016.” Short, simple, and plenty sweet. We approve.

The Vans US Open is kind of like the North Shore in December. Except minus Pipeline. And Rocky Point. And Sunset, Foodland, the Volcom house(s), Ted’s Bakery, Kala Alexander, fear, soft sand, sea turtles, (most) Turtle references and Turtle Bay. On second thought, maybe they don’t have much in common. But one thing they share is the fact that they merge the entire surf world as one lightly perspiring, three-or-four-or-fine-I’ve-had-seven-beers-deep family. And isn’t that cute? Isn’t it?

If you’re a #globalcitizen of this surf world or live in the greater Huntington Beach region, I’ve prepared a party guide for you. And if you have no interest in attending the Open, you’re still welcome to listen to me ramble incoherently for the next few minutes. I’ve heard it’s similar to watching two trains collide. —Brendan Buckley

-Noa Deane’s Tuff Premiere
Don the Beachcomber. 8 PM.
Movie should be cool, plus you get the chance to get blackout drunk, approach Noa Deane and say, “Man, I just love how you do your own shit. I love how do own shit man. You love how I do your own shit.”

WednesdaySURFING’s Ryan Callinan: Performance Guy Premiere
The Pope’s Living Room (otherwise known as G’s Boathouse). 9 PM.
We’ve been working on this project for months and it’s probably my favorite thing we’ve ever done. Sean Benik’s putting the final touches on it now. I just walked over to harass him about how some kid from my high school still tries to be a rapper and he didn’t even give me the time of day. Kinda bummed.

ThursdayGLOBE presents +/+ by Dion Agius
Costa Mesa. 7 PM.
I think this one is invite-only as well, but maybe Noa will help you get in? You guys seem like good friends?

FridayDane Reynolds and Vans pizza party
Shorebreak hotel. 6 PM or so.
Private party but I can put a few slices in my pockets if you want to meet me at the…

SURFING party
Pope’s Living Room. 8 PM.
We’re streaming a new edit of Dane, Dillon Perillo and Yadin Nicol in Morocco. And it’ll be available on our site immediately there after. But you won’t see it because we’ll be at the

Other SURFING Party
Sutra. 11 PM.
I’d go to Syria over this place any other night of the year. But on this one very special night, SURFING Senior Photographer Corey Wilson does DJs and girls wear tight dresses and profusely sweating on the dance floor is encouraged.

SaturdaySURFING Factory Party
Pope’s Living Room. 7 PM.
We’re premiering a short film from our Factory trip to Bali. And releasing the cover to the Factory Issue of SURFING Magazine. And drinking rum cokes.

When Bruce Irons and Saxon Boucher first crossed paths, Bruce was a 10-year-old mini grom staying in Encinitas with older brother Andy for NSSA Nationals. According to Bruce, Saxon was “a gnarly-guy pro surfer from La Jolla, and he had a six-pack too.” As Saxon remembers it, “I was older than Bruce and Andy, but I already looked up to them as far as the way they surfed. Bruce was just a little punk, but he had style so far beyond his years.” Bruce, of course, went on to become a style messiah for an entire generation of surfers, and today he’s back in Saxon’s neighborhood, living just down the road from the SURFING office in Carlsbad, CA, where Sax now works as a senior sales exec. When Saxon recently discovered a goldmine of Bruce photos in our office, he invited Bruce over to check them out. The photos — some new, some old, all epic — spawned conversation about everything from John John’s new movie to that time Bruce rolled a Toyota Hilux filled with Dane Reynolds, Ry Craike and a terrified cameraman into some godforsaken West Oz shorebreak. But eventually the discussion always returned to one key subject: style. –Leo Maxam

Indonesia. Photo: Russi

Saxon Boucher: When you look at photos of yourself surfing do you like them or are you critical of your surfing?

Bruce Irons: I’m very critical of myself. I’m always wishing I was like someone else. I don’t think of myself as the style guy. I think I’m a kook most of the time. I’m my own worst critic.

That’s funny, because the entire surfing world looks at you like a style icon.
I don’t feel like that. I’ve just always done whatever felt right. Where I grew up, people would tease you if you surfed a certain way, so you wanted to make sure you weren’t looking like a kook. I grew up with Kamalei [Alexander] and Reef [McIntosh] and [Dustin] Barca and we were really hard on each other. Now that I’m older I look back and I’m like, wow, were we friends, guys? It was almost like you wanted to see the other guy’s misery. We were always pushing each other, trying to outdo each other. And especially with an older brother, I always had to keep up. Reef and my brother were always going off to surf big waves and I would tag along and try to act like I wasn’t scared.

So do you think the teasing and the tough love actually helped make you guys more stylish surfers?
We teased each other bad. I remember Kamalei used to surf with his ass popped out really bad when we were younger and we used to tease the f–k out of him. And now look at Kamalei — he has a really nice style. Barca too. He used to have this funny style and we’d tease him too. Your friends are your biggest critics and there was a lot of tough love. You definitely don’t want to show weakness or any sign of feelings, because if you do you’re gonna get all your waves taken away and you’re gonna be a little punk.

Remember any good nicknames?
Kamalei was Hershey Squirt, Fat Head. I had a bunch of nicknames: Egghead, Alien Head. I used to tease my brother that he looked like Mr. Ed because of his teeth. But that’s the way you had to be. You have to be really strong and act like nothing fazes you. In a way it’s a good thing, but now that I’m older I’m comfortable with who I am and expressing my feelings and I don’t care about the consequences.

Off The Wall, Hawaii. Photo: DJ Struntz

When Pipe is 10 to 12 feet and teasing the second reef, do you even have time to think about how you’re positioning your body or is that all just instinctual and natural?
I don’t ever think about my body position or anything. I just try to make it. On a bigger backside drop where you’re taking off really late, I’m just trying not to get pitched out. I’m underneath the lip and I almost try and become part of the wall; be really little and fall into it on my shoulder and hopefully I’m part of that transition and it all plays out. But to tell you the truth, I don’t know if I made this one. I think my tail dropped out on this one.

How do you get so good at that?
Growing up in your environment. We surfed this left on Kauai. It never got bigger than 4 or 5 feet, but it had this north bowl on it and it was dry reef and it was almost like a mini Teahupo’o. And I think that’s where me and my brother fine-tuned our backside barrel riding, learning how to take off late and steep and pigdog. And we transferred that to everywhere else.

Pipeline. Photo: Brian Bielmann

Do you feel responsible for influencing all the guys today who go for it backside on big, heavy waves?
No, I don’t ever feel like that. That’s really flattering and cool, but I don’t ever feel like that. In my mind I still feel like I’m being influenced by everyone today.

I think a lot of the guys doing well on the tour nowadays in heavy barrels would say that it’s from watching you. Back in the day there weren’t a lot of people riding the barrel backside. Kelly was always really good, but no one was really taking off late and steep and knifing it and dragging their butt until you and your brother really showed what was possible.
Nowadays everyone’s doing it. Nowadays on tour, everybody surfs gnarly everywhere. Before, it wasn’t like everyone could surf big backside barrels. That’s why they originally made it man on man heats at Pipeline, because there were a lot of heats where guys were kind of blowing it, not going for it. But now, everyone’s gnarly and everyone goes for it.

Do you think either you or Andy would have been as good as surfers if you didn’t have each other to feed off of?
No way, I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for him. Because I was just doing whatever he was doing. And I was just trying to impress him. I’m sure it was the same way for him. We were trying to outdo each other and one up each other, but we were also trying to get a complement from one another, which was very hard to get in the same room.

Pipeline. Photo: Hank

As surf fans, this is the shit we remember forever: you pulling into the shorebreak during the Eddie. What goes through your mind when you do something like that?
I was still in my first heat. That was the biggest wave I’d ever paddled into, so I was still tripping on that. That was a really heavy event. The day before, me and my brother got into this really heavy fight, like a fistfight. I think I had a black eye on stage during the awards. But if it wasn’t for that, I swear I wouldn’t have won that contest. My brother was in the heat before me and he was world champion and was winning everything at that time — but I got an Eddie invite before him — so I was determined not to let him win.

It’s almost like there’s no one else in the contest at that point.
F–k no. I was just screaming, just psyching, “He’s not beating me!” I willed that f–king thing. Right before this, Flea got that wave where he jumped over the falls. You can only get four or five waves max in a heat and this was my last one. Kelly was right there too and that’s another reason I was probably going. I remembered watching videos of Michael Ho going into the shorebreak at Waimea and I was just trying to ride the wave as far as I could because I knew I had to go in, and get as close as I could so I didn’t have to paddle. And then I could hear the announcer and see all the people and I thought, aw shit I’m gonna make it, I have to pull in now. I never got barreled on a 10-foot board in shorebreak before. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was just a crowd pleaser, but I ended up just getting washed up the beach no problem.

Waimea shorebreak. Photo: Tom Carey

How about style in heavy waves and how style plays into that?
You’re scared thinking about it. You’re scared talking about it. But once you’re there in the moment, like that Code Red swell, I remember after that wipeout happened I wanted a bigger one. Thinking about it, you get anxiety and get scared. But when you put me in that moment, I start feeding off that energy and want bigger and more. Contests never did that for me. I was always so in my head in contests. I would get more pumped up surfing with my friends when the waves are big. That’s when you want it.

Cloudbreak. Photo: Brian Bielmann

You just got back from surfing a big swell at Pascuales.
F–k yeah, I almost drowned there two weeks ago. It was like 30 feet. That was the biggest I’ve seen it and surfed it. On this last trip I seen some waves break so far out to sea. So heavy. That wave is more powerful than any wave in the world. Just as powerful as Pipeline if not more.

Is it as rewarding?
F–k, you know. I don’t care. I’ve paddled enough. I like it. Paddling is good everywhere else, but this wave is meant for step offs. It’s a beachbreak, it shifts around, you couldn’t get a lot of these waves paddling. And if you had a really big board, get in late. But with a ski you can get all over the place. I had a 9’0” down there and Shane came down and Shane didn’t even paddle once. I’m like Shane are we gonna paddle? And he wasn’t doing it. So I’m like, f–k it, I’m not doing it.

Teahupoo. Photo: Brian Bielmann

You’ve always been known for launching on huge sections. Are airs in larger surf the future?
I’ve never even seen Filipe Toledo surf, but I heard he went down to Pascuales and was doing double rotations. He went down there just to do airs and I heard he was gnarly. He was doing 540s and shit. You go to Pascuales and you get too much speed and it’s scary. The sections are so big. You’re going so fast and it’s so much power. You do an air whether you want to or not. The board spins the guys are doing now, I can’t even comprehend. A lot of them grow up skating too, and I think that’s a big help.

Pascuales, Mexico. Photo: Scott Serfas

What about the new guys you see surf. What’s your impression of their style?
I just went on a trip with John John to West Oz and he’s the gnarliest guy I’ve seen in a long, long time. The shit that he does on waves that you wouldn’t even want to surf — Boogie board slabby wedge waves. And the success rate of his tricks. Just whipping tail into the flats and he jrides out of it. Backflips like it was nothing.

So John John was pushing you?
Oh, yeah, the shit he does is definitely inspiring. To see what he does on a normal basis. That is the progression of surfing right there. I went on a surf trip with him five or six years ago to Indo, he was 15 or 16, just starting to come into his own. But to see how he is now, he’s gonna be a world champion. He was so consistent when I surfed with him in WA. I think he’s just starting to become confident in his decisions and sticking with them. I was telling him, “You’re the guy. Don’t get it twisted; everyone is gunning for you.”

Like you, John has a unique style all his own.
For sure, and I like surfing with that type of energy. Anything is possible — backflip above the lip like it’s nothing. Dangling arms, no big deal. I used to give him shit for it. Because when he was trying to qualify I thought it looked too lazy. I was like, f–k, you gotta be more amped. But you know what, I was wrong, he stuck to it, that’s his trip and I like it. It’s unorthodox, and you never know what he’s gonna do and that’s cool. I wish I could be his age again.

Marc Lacomare is French. We don’t speak French. Luckily for us, in this three-and-a-half-minute Indo medley, Marc’s surfing translates just fine. Watch as the lanky goofy-footer tears his way through the Mentawais with flare and spring. Highlights include a carve, wrap, blast combo at 1:12 and a lofty oop at 3:13.

Sebastian Zietz falls into the pool of ‘Ct surfers whom we don’t get to see enough of outside the jersey (which isn’t very deep). Thankfully, Seabass gifted us with this pleasant jam – a combination of flare and fire from Southern California to Tahiti. Highlights include a fierce forehand blast at Lowers at 0:21 and some clean Teahupoo threads at 2:48.

]]>http://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/seabastian-zietz-on-the-move/feed/1Madness In The South Pacifichttp://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/madness-in-the-south-pacific/
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/madness-in-the-south-pacific/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 18:59:18 +0000http://www.surfingmagazine.com/?p=103692Featuring the wrath of Teahupoo.

Last week, Tahiti saw one of the better swells we’ve witnessed in recent history. Not quite code red, but Teahupoo was plenty meaty to give you those sweaty-palm feelings at the mere attempt of a mindsurf. Here, we have a video wrap-up of all the madness as documented by Timothee Pruvost. It’s mesmerizing to the utmost degree, and as the week trickles on, we guarantee you’ll be seeing much more mayhem from this swell of the year (we promise).

C.S. Lewis once said that failures are finger posts on the road to achievement. If he’s right, then Niccolo Porcella is blaring European techno in a yellow Mitsubishi sports car while forcing the petal to the floor in the fast lane of the so-called road to achievement — you’ll get there, bud. A few days ago, he had one of the most barbaric wipeouts we’ve ever seen at Teahupo’o. We ran the photo in this gallery, now here’s a drone angle video from Brent Bielmann and Eric Sterman. Keep on driving, Niccolo. This is just a finger post…whatever that means.

A little bit rapier than what we typically like to see, but great form and technique. Overall: B-

The goat orchards of Western Africa.

A turn worth admiring.

Horsepower.

All Photos: Corey Wilson // Surfer: Dillon Perillo

Camels. For Corey Wilson, last winter’s trip to Morocco was all about the camels. He’d photograph them. He’d ride them. If we saw a bunch of camels on the side of the road he’d ask the driver to stop so he could take more pictures. He giggled every time he saw one. The trip was also about goats. Specifically, goats in trees. (Seriously, that’s a thing in Morocco.) They climb the argan trees and eat the fruit and when they shit out the seeds the local people collect them and grind them into argan oil. It’s a fun fact that Corey didn’t learn about because he was busy giggling and taking pictures when our guide explained this. The trip was also about cats, for Corey. But that’s nothing new. Shooting surfing just is a side gig. His bread and butter is working on a coffee table book project called, “Cats of the World” [working title].

Corey photographed humans in Morocco, too. One of his favorite subjects joined us on this trip, fellow cat-lover Dillon Perillo. Dillon’s surfing was tailor-made for the long rights of Morocco. And while Royal Air Morocc lost Corey’s tripod for the first half of the trip, he got creative and used everything from rocks to cars to my shoulder to stabilize his lens and make Dillon look as good as possible. (As if he needs any help.) —Taylor Paul

Recently, Quiksilver’s most promising youth had themselves a nice little foreign frolic to bountiful land of Nicaragua. The crew runs deep, riding dirty in their minivan to some of the most inviting beachbreaks on this side of the globe. Jump in and enjoy the vacay with Taj Lindblad, Gus Day, Kade Matson, Griffin Foy, Keanu Igarashi, Dimitri Polous, Micky Clarke, Dagan Stagg, Ryder Guest, and Gabe Morvil – because soon enough it’s back to school for these punks.

In 1972, David Bowie wrote a song called “Starman” and it’s conveniently the soundtrack to this new Clay Marzo edit. In the song, Bowie claims that there’s a starman waiting in the sky. He said that the starman would love to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds. Interesting take, Dave. Anyway, we’ll go ahead and say that Clay Marzo is a starman (Outer Space reference here). Except Clay is from Hawaii (where this was filmed) and he did, in fact, blow our minds. Who’d have guessed?

“Hey how sick would it be if I lit myself on fire and surfed Teahupo’o?” If Jamie O’Brien asked us that question we would have replied, “Uhh, kind of cool? We guess…” But Jamie never asked us that question. He went ahead and surfed Teahupo’o while on fire anyway. We’d still prefer he use his obscene wave-riding talent to stick more airs and do bigger carves and surf slabbier waves. But curators can’t be choosers, so here’s the video. It’s definitely interesting. As interesting as Keala Kennelly’s ground-breaking wave? We’d say no. To each their own, we suppose.

You may or may not see this floater at Lowers in September. Hiroto Ohhara.

Crane rented a spot on the WCT.

All Photos: Benjamin Ginsberg

What constitutes a good day? Is it an overall feeling of happiness spanning a 24 hour period? Or a special event? Or the achievement of a goal? How about you bundle em all together and, literally, call it a day? That’s what Ian Crane did yesterday. He won the Hurley Pro trials in front of his friends and family in San Clemente, earning both a spot in the WCT event at Lowers and a free trip to Indo for two. A certified good day.

The trials were set up in an interesting way — the field was split into two. Held at T-Street, one side consisted of the kind people of San Clemente and the other side was filled with Hurley surfers. Crane won the SC side, Hiroto Ohhara won the other, both of them won a spot in the main event. But out of the kindness of their hearts/wallets, Hurley was also offering the aforementioned Indo trip. Ian and Hiroto surfed a heat for that; Ian won. Maybe he’ll take Hiroto on the trip?

Nah. In a text conversation, Crane told us that he’ll likely take either his dad or his uncle. This is what else he had to say.

Would you rather surf against Adriano or Mick in the first round?
It’d be sick to surf a heat against Mick — he’s one of my favorite surfers. Adriano would be cool though too.

Would you be psyched or bummed if you came up against Kolohe?
I’d be psyched! Who wouldn’t want to surf Lowers with nobody out but one of your best friends?

You think the WSL forgave you yet?
I hope so. I forgot about the incident already, I hope they did too.

What round warrants an after party?
Haha, any heat I advance from! I’m not expecting too much. Hopefully I just surf well and if I win a heat I’d be stoked. And hopefully Kolohe wins the whole thing. Then there would definitely be an after party…

]]>http://www.surfingmagazine.com/news/ian-crane-hiroto-ohhara-win-hurley-pro-lowers-wildcards/feed/0Dane Reynolds At Home With Doloreshttp://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/dane-reynolds-at-home-with-dolores/
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/video/dane-reynolds-at-home-with-dolores/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 01:34:03 +0000http://www.surfingmagazine.com/?p=103579In the raw, to the fullest extent.

In reality, Dane Reynolds was probably looking forward to returning home from J-Bay to his gal Courtney and their newborn boy Sammy for some quality family time. As a bonus, he was also greeted by a nice little hurricane swell. Yes, Hurricane Dolores – one of the many hyped hurricane swells to ultimately only give California a mere tickle. Here, Dane gifts us with a raw six minutes of his entire affair with Dolores, and for that, we thank him.

Peter Mel doesn’t work for us. But if he did, he would have grabbed Keala Kennelly for an interview from the channel immediately after she caught that wave. Brent Bielmann does, however, work for us and he had a chat with Keala right after her bomb — WSL, you listening? Here’s Keala’s initial reaction after whipping into one of the heaviest we’ve ever seen ridden by anyone, male or female. We hope that beer tasted good. She sure as hell deserves it.

You know it’s been a busy day when a man lighting himself on fire inside an oversized Teahupo’o barrel is overshadowed. Surprisingly enough, the flame devil was Jamie O’Brien. The people casting shadows in his direction were Keala Kennelly and Niccolo Porcello — Keala for whipping into the wave of the day (Photos 11 and 12) and Niccolo for daring death to take him over (Photo 6). A busy day indeed. Check out the gallery above and a quick clip from the sky below. Speaking of clips from the sky, we’ve got a full edit coming your way soon.

J-Bay is, and always will be, a historic event – and no amount of shark scares could ever take away from its legacy. So here, we have all the behind-the-scenes action from the 2015 J-Bay Open, minus the craze of shark drama. Because by now doesn’t it feel like it’s all been a bit played out? Enjoy Peter Kings #nottournotes and the lighthearted vibes of team Hurley before the incident.

Aren’t hard drive clean-outs the best! Well, at least when they’re coming from guys like Jordy Smith, it’s something to get excited about. Since J-man’s debilitating injury in West Oz, he’s been off his game for the past two events (missing Fiji completely and getting last at J-Bay). In the meantime, he’s left us with these clips from a few years ago at home in Africa to remind us of brighter times. Get well soon Mr. Smith and hopefully you can’t find that white rashgaurd on your return.

If you’re at all infatuated with the culture that is modern surfing, you’ve probably heard the Moniz surname tossed around more than a handful of times. With a family pool of talent deeper than the mid-Atlantic, Josh Moniz has grown up feeding off of his brothers (and sister) – not to mention the rest of the pack on his home island of Oahu. Here, we have Josh’s solo debut, a two-and-a-half-minute medley of the kid’s prodigious natural talent spread around his native stomping grounds. Enjoy Josh’s well-deserved moment in the spotlight and stay on the lookout for much more to come from Mr. Moniz in the future.

Cherished by the surf world as one of the most enigmatic freesurfers to roam international waters, Vans Surf team rider Dane Reynolds expresses his eccentric, one of a kind personality in Vans’ latest Surf footwear collection.

Introducing a brand new style to the Vans Surf line with the Black Ball SF, the Dane Reynolds collection features a striking black and white hand drawn dog motif starring none other than, Dane’s dog! The playful graphic created by Dane covers three silhouettes in the Vans Surf line including the new Black Ball Hi and Low SF, and the 204 Print Sandal. Inspired by the classic shapes of the Sk8-hi and Old Skool, Dane’s styles take on a minimal aesthetic, utilizing tailored structures and simple detailing to complement each pair’s comfort-driven appeal. Each footwear piece is equipped with the ultimate ease of Vans’ removable and washable Ultracush footbeds, plus the addition of a new single-wrap, lightweight, waffle-bottom outsole to ensure a relaxed fit across the board. The 204 Print sandal rounds out the capsule with Dane’s signature graphic on the footbed.

Vans kicks off the release of the Dane Reynolds collection as part of a weeklong celebration of action sports and creative expression at the 2015 Vans US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA on July 25 – August 2. The nine-day event will host the world’s elite in surfing, skateboarding and BMX, bringing premier action sports competition to Surf City beginning this weekend. Watch Dane and the rest of the Vans team on the live webcast at www.vansusopenofsurfing.com.

The complete Dane Reynolds collection is available now at authorized Vans dealers near you and on the beach at the Vans US Open of Surfing! Visit Vans.com/surf to learn more about Dane and the rest of the Vans Surf team.

Over the past few days the surf world has run high with emotions. Fear, gratitude, happiness, countless recounts of the near-horrific incident between Mick Fanning and the man in the grey suit. As the dust settles, and everyone involved begins to decompress from the traumatic encounter, Hurley’s #Tournotes leaves us with this – a behind the scenes look into what it was like first-hand. We’ve seen plenty of interviews, reactions, and heartfelt messages, but none have hit closer to home than this.

There are very few things that Jamie O’Brien could do to surprise us anymore — besides maybe qualify. And that’s not a knock on the guy. He’s just not exactly the WCT type. He’s more the acid drop off a rock type. Or the surf bombing Pipe on a pink soft top type. Or most recently, the light yourself on fire while surfing Teahupo’o type. Yep, apparently that’s a thing. See the above Instagram post from JOB for a few more details. More to come.

]]>Even your weird aunt who obsesses over Facebooks knows that Mick Fanning was attacked by a shark at J-Bay two days ago. How is she by the way? Still making that green bean casserole? Yeah? Nice. Anyway, you’ve heard about Mick. You’ve heard about his reaction and his next step. It’s all the surf world has been talking about lately. So we thought we’d give you a nice little vacation away from sharkland. We want to remind you that surfing is still the most fun thing probably ever, so here are ten things that will take your mind off the sharks and the sharks off you mind.

Barrels
Photo: Brent Bielmann
The ocean would be pointless without them. I suppose you could say that it’s a fundamental component of all that is life on earth, but that argument feels a little bit contrived, no?

Bottom Turns
Photo: Sean Benik
Alana Blanchard, the posterchild.

Young Dane Reynolds
Photo: Pat Stacy
Sharks didn’t exist in 2008.

Dickboards
Photo: Jimmicane
Even sharks know that it’s bad to use teeth.

Mason Ho
And of course, his dream wave.

Wave Pools
Photo: DJ Struntz
They might be the future. Or an extravagant pest that demolishes surfing as we know it and turns our beloved little into something pale and professional. Who knows!

John John Florence
Photo: Brent Bielmann
If you have ever thought about sharks while watching one of his edits, you’re doing it wrong.

Danny Fuller is no stranger to the feeling of a clean frontside tube to the tune of blue skies and warm water. Here, the Oahu native takes his lanky, goofy-footed attack to the paradise that is Fiji and gets lost in a barrel spree that would put most of us on a rooftop screaming for joy. Watch Fuller thread through these picturesque scenes with a success rate above most and a coolness above all.

Mick Fanning didn’t sleep much last night. And that shouldn’t surprise you. Not after what happened yesterday.

Jimmy Wilson and I ran into him while he was checking in for his flight to Johannesburg in the Port Elizabeth airport along with Kai Otton, Jarrad Howse and Ronnie Blakey. Mick was smiling and in good spirits. He gave us a high-five and hug, then asked if we’d go ahead through security and order him a Bloody Mary. Of course. The guy certainly deserved one.

Mick boarded the plane and sat by himself in the back. Jimmy sat next to Ronnie Blakey, Mick’s longtime friend and the guy who so gracefully handled the live, emotional post-heat interviews moments after embracing Mick in the back room with Kieren Perrow, Ace, Kai, Parko and longtime tour manager Renato Hickel, not a dry eye among them. I sat next to Jarrad Howse, Mick’s friend and coach at J-Bay. The four of us discussed the attack for the umpteenth time. As hard as we tried to steer our conversation elsewhere it kept circling back. It’s probably why Mick chose a seat with strangers. “Sleeping” on it only made it more real. And really, how wild is it that ours is the only sport in the world where a wild beast could maul a top athlete? How wild is it that it nearly happened?

Unlike what happened yesterday, Mick can see a blitz coming — he’ll be bombarded with mainstream media the second he gets off the plane in Sydney. He wants to handle it all in one fell swoop and then move on. A day removed, it’s still as scary as ever.

That plane ride has been the only time Mick’s had to himself since the attack and, according to Jarrad, he has infinite texts and calls to sort through. Everything has been nonstop. It wasn’t until this morning that he even had a chance to contact some of his closest friends. So while it was tempting to ask Mick for a few words, it wasn’t the right time. The others can prod and poke. We’re just happy he’s alive.

We headed our separate ways in Johannesburg. I wished him safe travels and told him it was good to see him. It was much more than just a formality. Even if I hardly know Mick, I’ve never meant that more. —Zander Morton

]]>SURFING staff photographer Brent Bielmann has a video mount on top of his camera’s water housing which he uses every time he shoots. We’ve been stockpiling all of his video clips for the past four years, but it wasn’t until recently that Brent and I discussed the idea of finally editing it all down to a POV short film with live sound. We hope you agree that it feels really cool to hear the sounds of the waves passing by accompanied by the sound of Brent’s shutter rapidly firing as his still camera snaps photos — think war documentary, but a lot more friendly. Below is just a one-minute tease of what’s to come in the full edit entitledLife In A Bottle. —Peter Taras

Coming soon…Life In A Bottle
Filmed by Brent Bielmann
Directed by Peter Taras
Edited by Jacob Vanderwork and Sean Benik

If your pride hasn’t already been smashed and mangled by surfing’s current super-youth, then introduce yourself to the newest crop of ripe phenoms. This is Volcom’s most juvenile lineup consisting of Jackson Bunch, Kobi Clements, Rasmus King, and Hagan Johnson taking over the Lakey’s area. Highlights include just about every wave of Kobi Clements (more specifically those bombs at 2:49 and 3:16), and a hail mary straight air from Rasmus at 1:16 – but in all seriousness, give this thing a good, thorough view.

Morgan Maassen has a way with imagery. Here, we have a collection of some of his finest work over recent years, all molded together in a mesmerizing six-and-a-half-minute parade of beauty. Once you start it will draw you in, and like anything so relaxing, it’s over before before you know it – Enjoy ‘Motion’.

]]>Now, a full twenty four hours after Mick Fanning’s horrific encounter with a shark during the final at the 2015 J-Bay Open, he has gathered himself to release this statement, along with the below image, via Instagram. The composure and gratitude shown by Mick, as well as the brotherhood displayed within the surfing community, is truly admirable.

Every month we release a magazine. Have you caught on yet? Well, if you’re at all familiar, on the front page of each of these magazines is what we deem as the most brilliant, progressive, mind-blowing, awe-inspiring image that graced our pupils over the course of the production period for that given issue. This month’s magazine, Issue 9, 2015, we revealed the above image of Owen Wright somewhere in Australia as shot by Corey Wilson – the photo tickled our fancies to the point of near urination. So it only seemed fit that we give you more of a back-story behind the image, providing insight as to what went into making this magnificent page-one print. SURFING staff photographer Corey Wilson elaborates on the shot and all those tiny moving parts that fell so pleasantly into place.

“This is my favorite cover so far.” Said Corey, “There have only been a couple times while shooting where I have actually screamed at the top of my lungs from excitement. After this wave went by, I remember screaming underwater until I came up out the back of the wave.”

]]>http://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/cover-shot-owen-wright-and-corey-wilson/feed/0Before The Shark Attack, Other Things Happened At J-Bay Todayhttp://www.surfingmagazine.com/wsl/before-the-shark-attack-other-things-happened-at-j-bay-today/
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/wsl/before-the-shark-attack-other-things-happened-at-j-bay-today/#commentsSun, 19 Jul 2015 23:22:02 +0000http://www.surfingmagazine.com/?p=103382Like the best waves of the event, for one.

Kai Otton lost to Ace Buchan in the Quarters and finished fifth for the second time in as many events.

Wiggoly Dantas. At the end of this wave he snapped his leash, lost his board into the rocks, and ran up the beach while Julian Wilson ripped an absolute gem. Wiggs never recovered.

Julian Wilson. Dancing with the devil (wind.)

Michel Bourez. 9th place swoop.

Ace Buchan nearly beat Julian in Semi number one. After Mick got attacked by a shark, he’s glad he didn’t.

Gabriel Medina. (Plus girlfriend and sister.)

Kelly Slater.

There are two times J-Bay is this good and this uncrowded. 1) During a heat. 2) After a world champion is attacked by a shark on TV. Both happened today.

Keanu Asing finished 9th place at the hands of Mick’s fans.

Adriano De Souza heads into Tahiti ranked No. 1 in the world. Had Mick not been attacked by a shark in the final, either he or Jules (whichever won) would’ve taken the lead. But alas, Adriano is safe. For now.

This photo is taken from the water safety boat. 30 minutes later, this boat would rush the lineup and help save Mick’s life. Alejo Muniz.

Midway through the morning J-Bay was pumping and sharks were the last thing on Mick’s mind.

Gabriel Medina lost to Kelly Slater in a back-and-forth Quarterfinal. Gabe didn’t find a win in Africa (technically, nobody did), but he did find his 2014 form.

Kelly Slater.

The type of attack we expect from Mick Fanning. Of note: Do sharks like yellow?

Julian Wilson.

Mick Fanning.

Before a massive shark tried to maul Mick, he was having a pretty f—king good day.

It only took 12 days. Talk about saving the best for last.

Kelly Slater finished third. His best result of the year.

If Mick Fanning wasn’t your favorite surfer before today, he is now. Fact. That’s not up for debate.

Mick Fanning Attacked By Shark In Final At J-Bay. A headline nobody expected to write.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets attacked by a shark. Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson.

All photos: JimmicaneIn the final heat of the 2015 J-Bay Open versus Julian Wilson, Mick Fanning was attacked by a very large shark, and, for better or worse, that’s all this years event will be remembered for. Not the 12 days of up-and-down surf. Not Julian Wilson’s second consecutive final. Not Kelly Slater’s Quarterfinal performance at perfect, 4- to- 5 foot Supertubes. A shark attacked a three time world champion at 2:30 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon in front of thousands of people, and suddenly, nothing else seemed important any longer. But still, other things happened.

All’s well that ends well, right?
The conditions for the final day? Perfect. It took forever but Jeffrey’s delivered. After 12 days of schizofrenic weather the conditions finally aligned for the last 8 hours of the waiting period. The biggest. The sunniest. The warmest. The best! Today, July 19, is the same day J-Bay wrapped in 2014. Same as last year, every heat and every set got better and better and by the end of the day, with last years champion Mick Fanning once again in the final, history had a chance to repeat itself.

But history is boring
So f–k history. Instead of a winner, we got a shark.

But first
Any surprises? Not really. Top seeds were in top form all morning and cruised into the quarters. At which point the tide turned, the wind switched, and for the first time this event, J-Bay truly turned on.

Heat of the day?
Quarter number three, Kelly versus Gabe. It was the heat of the event. At one point, after Kelly’s 2nd nine, Ross Williams, Ronnie Blakey, Kai Otton, Michel Bourez and Todd Kline were literally jumping around with excitement in the competitors area, running between the outside deck and the inside TVs for replays as line after line stacked out the back. Standing on furniture. Debating scores. Throwing superlatives. At one point, as an unridden set marched through Supers after both Kelly and Gabe had already ridden waves, Michel noted how nice Jet Ski assist would be on a day like today. Commissioner KP was standing right there to explain that they don’t use it because Ski wake lingers at J-Bay and crosses up the sets. Despite the torture of watching perfect, empty waves in a heat, as far as entertainment goes, Kelly’s win over Gabe was as good as live surfing gets. When Kelly came in he stayed in his wetsuit, fanned out watching Julian’s win over Ace and was nearly shaking with excitement in anticipation of getting back out there. Of course, Kelly’s campaign would end right there. Mick took him down in the second semi to join Julian in the final, and that’s where things got interesting.

Because sharks.
This evening I attended an impromptu BBQ at Mick’s a few hours after the attack. Julian was there. As was Nat. Kelly. Michel. Kai. Ace. The list goes on. It was emotional and the emotions were real.

Soooo, what now?
The WSL decided to evenly award Mick and Julian second place points and give them each 70k. It was the right decision. The only decision. Nobody will win the J-Bay Open this year. In fact, it’s possible nobody will ever win the J-Bay Open again. It’ll be interesting to see if the WSL brings this event back.

And tomorrow?
J-Bay will be firing. But it won’t be empty. 10 guys paddled out tonight after the final was canceled and plenty more will paddle out in the morning. I asked one of ’em his thoughts on going out this evening. “You think my odds of getting attacked are any different tonight than they ever have been?” He makes a good point. “Some guys get lucky, others don’t.”

In things that you didn’t think you’d see today: a photo of Mick Fanning wrestling a White shark.

“I punched it in the back,” Mick said. The consummate competitor.

Mick makes a run for it.

In case you needed any more reason for him to be your favorite surfer, Julian Wilson paddled his absolute hardest to get towards Mick and shark in hopes of helping.

Julian Wilson with those admirable instincts we all wish we had.

Thankful.

Replay after replay, the incident is just as heavy with every view.

Mick feeling just about every spectrum of emotion.

Mick and a moment alone to take a deep breathe, and thank whoever's in charge for being alive.

The first of many times that this story will be retold and replayed in Mick's words.

Sportmanship is one thing, but this is brotherhood.

Tears. Happy? Scared? Thankful? All the above.

At a moment when so many words could be said, a hug seemed sufficient.

Many "I love you's" were said today, and rightfully so. Here's one between Jules and girlfriend Ashley.

A post-heat interview that everyone was relieved to see.

All photos: JimmicaneJust the other day I was joking with Peter Mel in the competitors area overlooking J-Bay, and he told me: “I hope I see a shark when I’m webcasting from the water. How cool would that be?”

Pretty damn cool. Because what sells better than sex? Sharks. And today, in front of a live audience, Peter not only saw a shark while webcasting from the water — but four minutes into the final versus Julian Wilson he saw a shark attack Mick Fanning.

I watched it unfold in slow motion from the balcony of the competitors area and it all seemed surreal. Like, how could this be happening? I saw splashing and I saw Mick disappear, only to reappear without his board, swimming towards the beach. Had he lost a leg? An arm? Those were valid questions. The crowd was screaming. Horrified. Everyone feared the worst. It took about half a minute and thumbs up from the Ski for us to realize that Mick was, in fact, OK. Alive. All limbs in tact.

At that point the vibe relaxed, if only a bit. It was still scary. Still the craziest thing to ever happen to professional surfing. But we all knew Mick was unscathed and at that point, that was all that mattered. Kelly Slater said it’s the only time he’s ever been happy he didn’t make the final. We were all glued to webcast. Watching for updates. Waiting to hear from Mick. Instagram exploded with well wishes and holy-shit-I-can’t-believe-that-happened updates. If you were watching the webcast you posted about it. If you were on the beach you posted about it, too.

Because it was crazy. When I saw it happen my heart sank. It was a big shark and it dragged Mick underwater. That’s not a recipe for survival. Like everyone, I assumed the worst. But somehow, someway, Mick came out without so much as scratch. Whether it was the grace of God or the hand of Karma, something intervened. If you don’t know Mick, you know he’s one of the best athletes in the world. And if you do know Mick, you know he’s also also one of the best people on Earth. He’s the favorite surfer of every guy on tour. And thankfully, he’s still around. Crazy to even consider the flip side. Crazy that it could have gone terribly bad. Just crazy.

Now that I’ve had some time to rewatch replays and think more about it, I’ve come to two conclusions:

1) It was the best possible thing to happen to the WSL. Had Mick been injured, (or worse), I wouldn’t consider saying that. But Mick is physically OK. And remember when I said sharks sell? Well, yeah. This scene will be on CNN and ESPN and to the greater public, Mick Fanning will forever be remembered as the surfer that was attacked in a ‘CT competition at a notoriously sharky wave in South Africa. Forget his three world titles. White Lightning? After today he’s Great White Lightning. Last week the Discovery Channel sensationalized sharks during “Shark Week” and tried to scare the shit out of everyone. With all the attacks in North Carolina, West OZ and Reunion Island, sharks were already on our minds. And now, in front of a live audience, we saw one attack a three-time world champion. Talk about a ratings bonanza. But it’s the “attack” part that leads me to conclusion number two.

2) It didn’t exactly “attack” Mick. I spoke with one local afterward, who’s been surfing J-Bay for 21 years. “If that shark wanted to attack him, it would’ve,” he told me. “I think it was coming in to check Mick out, got caught in his leash, thrashed around and then took off.” After re-watching the WSL’s video, I think I agree. I’m not downplaying it. Not saying Mick wasn’t in danger. Might that shark have been planning — or even trying — to bite Mick? Yes. But let’s not forget: As sharky as J-Bay is perceived to be, nobody has ever been bitten at Supers and other than one swimmer, there hasn’t been a death at J-Bay. Rosy Hodge told me Greg Emslie had a similar shark “encounter” some time back, and he said that once the adrenaline wore off it was tough to handle mentally. I’m sure Mick can relate.

A few minutes after the encounter, this is what Mick had to say:

“I’m tripping. On the boat I was still full of adrenalin, and then I saw Ace [Buchan], Jarrad [Howse] and Fletch [Rip Curl tour manager], and that’s when it all just kicked in. And then I saw the footage. I’m totally fine, got nothing wrong with me, just a small depression ding in my board, but I’m just totally tripping out. It’s weird, I was cruising, waiting for my opportunity and I knew Julian was down the point and I was just about to start paddling, and I had this instinct that something was behind me, and all of a sudden I started getting pulled underwater and the thing came up. I was on my board and I saw the whole thing just thrashing around. I was being dragged underwater by my legrope. I felt like I punched it in the back a couple of times. It was dragging me underwater and then I felt my legrope break and I just started swimming. I was screaming. I was yelling at Jules to move as well but he was coming at me, what a legend he is, and then I turned around in case he [the shark] was coming for another go at me, and then the skis and the boat and all of that was right there. I just can’t believe it. It’s so gnarly. At this point, I’m happy to not ever compete again. [laughing through tears] Seriously, to walk away from that, I’m just stoked to…[big sigh]. I just want to let all my friends and family know I’m OK. It’s all just kind of setting in now.”

And just now, with a few friends gathered around at a very intimate BBQ, Mick wanted to make sure everyone knows how much of a legend Julian is, and reckons Jules flying over to help gave him the energy to fight that shark off. There were other speeches and maybe even a few tears. This is a day we’ll always remember, and thankfully, a day when everything turned out OK. Who won? We all did. Mick is alive. He beat the ocean’s scariest competitor in the biggest heat of his life. — Zander Morton

A few minutes into his final versus Julian Wilson at J-Bay, Mick Fanning was attacked by what is believed to be a Great White shark. The beach went into shock. It appears Mick’s leash was caught in the sharks mouth and Mick was pulled underwater. Instinctively, Julian, who was in the water just down the point, paddled towards Mick to help, but before he could get to him, a Jet Ski scooped Mick up to safety. Miraculously, Mick is uninjured. More details to come. Stay tuned.

]]>A few minutes into his final versus Julian Wilson at J-Bay, Mick Fanning was attacked by what is believed to be a Great White shark. The beach went into shock. It appears Mick’s leash was caught in the sharks mouth and Mick was pulled underwater. Instinctively, Julian, who was in the water just down the point, paddled towards Mick to help, but before he could get to him, a Jet Ski scooped Mick up to safety. Miraculously, Mick is uninjured. More details to come. Stay tuned.